Haitian Village/barrio visit

Here are some pictures of the Haitin village, Caraballo that we visited.

Getting bathed......

We drove to the town of Montellano then down a long dirt road, through cane fields, to this remote location. It is completely isolated, far away from any form of civilization, hidden by miles of sugar cane fields. And it is hot. It was here that a Haitian community was ruled by a witch doctor (he is still here with others in the shanties on the other side of the river).

Witch doctor shanties.

The women who live here (in the shanties above) are slaves to his desires. Aids, hepatitis and other diseases are rampant. They live in filthty conditions with no running water, using the cane fields for bathroom needs, and subsisting on whatever food could be scavenged. Evil abounds in this shanty town. The poverity here was intensified when the cane factory shut down in nearby Montellano and anyone who had a job (earning maybe $2.month) lost it.

Several years ago an artist named Jana Amelingmeier and her husband started an effort to rescue these women and their families from the grip of the witch doctor and the poverity. Jana is a well known artist and she sold all of her art and possessions to fund her efforts. She built these houses for the females who were living in these awful slum conditions. If the women live in the homes for 5 years they are given ownership and certain freedom from the squalor they lived in. The houses while small with only 2 rooms, each have a toilet. Water is available at various locations throught the village.

Jana's husband Bob, a veterinarian, provides medical care to the Haitians here and in surrounding areas. The witch doctor has now lost most of his power and control over these people.

. Kids Alive is involved in the educational needs of this community and they had their 1st high school graduate this year!! It is a dangerous place to be and the volunteers here have to be secure (locked) in their rooms by 7:30PM. This is where they stay, upstairs in this building.

I'm not sure I could stay here....

One of the women doing her laundry.

The women and some of the men of Caraballo sell their crafts to provide income.

This is the end of our Kids Alive trip. Hard to believe but I am sad that we are leaving. At the beginning of the trip I wasn't sure I could survive but I would do this all over again! We have all grown in profound ways. We are so very proud of Aoife and Tighe who gave 100% of themselves each day to complete whatever chore was set before them. They never complained about the conditions we lived in, about the food, about the heat or the work they had to do and, were so respectful to all they met. They both embraced this adventure and are leaving with what I am sure will be a life changing lasting impression.

Tighe with WIlly who we will be sponsoring! Saying goodbye :(

A special thank you to Tom and Tori Dabisinkis who are the ultimate cheer leaders! It was their trip here 2 years ago with their children that inspired us. Tom worked his magic and made it happen for us and we are extremely grateful to him and Kids Alive. Last but not least, thank you to all who supported us and who donated.